White-Tailed Deer Due to Hunting Pressure and Habitat Loss, White-Tailed Will Group Together with Their Offspring

Dean Birch

White-tailed Deer Due to hunting pressure and habitat loss, white-tailed will group together with their offspring. Bucks also deer (Odocoileus virginianus) nearly disappeared in form bachelor groups, which disband before the mating Rhode Island following European settlement. Wildlife season in the fall. As a prey species, white-tailed deer managers were forced to ban deer hunting altogether to are stealthy, agile, and fast. Wolves, bears and mountain save the species from extirpation. Gradually, through lions were once common predators of deer in Rhode restoration efforts, habitat was recovered and deer pop- Island, but early settlers persecuted them so heavily that ulations began to increase. In 1957 the first deer archery they completely disappeared from the state. In their ab- season was reinstated, eventually followed by muz- sence, coyotes, bear and bobcats have become the main zleloader and shotgun seasons. The white-tailed deer wild predators of deer, although they mostly prey on represents a success story for wildlife restoration man- fawns and old or sick deer. Humans are another cause agement, but in such a densely populated state, human of deer mortality, through hunting and automobile conflict is inevitable. By using the proper management strikes. During the Rhode Island 2016-2017 hunting techniques and carefully planning our own backyard season 1,936 deer were harvested by hunters and 1,072 habitats, we can appreciate these adaptable and resilient deer were reported killed or involved in car accidents. animals without discord. LIFE HISTORY Range and Habitat: The white-tailed deer ranges from southern Canada to South America. Deer inhabit virtually all habitats in Rhode Island, from upland hills to the ocean shoreline and most of the islands in Nar- ragansett Bay. White-tailed deer use a wide variety of habitats, including swamps, thickets, mature forest and fields. Suburban development, with a comfortable mix of trees, shrubs and lawns, is used opportunistically by deer and provides undisturbed refuges for deer popula- tions to grow without control. Gabrielle DeMeillon

Food Habits: Deer spend most of their active hours FINDING FAWNS feeding on grasses, herbs, fruits and acorns, as well as the leaves, buds and twigs of woody plants. Deer can It is not uncommon to find a very young fawn eat five to nine pounds of food a day. They are rumi- alone during the spring. Mothers will leave their nants; like cows, they have four-chambered stomach fawns for the first two weeks after birth to forage, and chew their cud (a mixture of bile and partially only returning occasionally to nurse. digested food). Plant matter is difficult to digest, so deer have microbes in their stomachs to help them break down the tough material. These microbial symbionts Does do not always leave their fawns in sheltered not only aid in digestion, but also synthesize nutrients places and you may come across a lone fawn in for the deer. your yard or a public place.

Behavior: White-tailed deer are most active at dawn Never touch or approach a fawn. and dusk. When they are not feeding, they spend their If you are concerned for the safety of the animal time bedded down in brush or other cover. Deer often because it is on a road or injured, call the spend time in social groupings. Fawns will stay with Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of RI: their mother for a year, and occasionally multiple does (401) 294-6363 Reproduction: The breeding season, also called the “rut,” can begin as early as September, but peaks TIPS TO PROTECT YARDS & GARDENS during the first two weeks of November when bucks travel far and wide in search of receptive does. During ¾ Remove bird feeders and cover compost. the rut, bucks will rub their antlers on saplings, remov- ¾ Put up 8 ft high wire fencing around gardens. ing the bark and leaving scent, and create scrapes by ¾ For larger areas use electric fencing. thrashing overhanging vegetation with their antlers and ¾ Fence around individual trees. scraping the adjacent ground with their front hooves. ¾ Grow plants that are unpalatable to deer. Early in the rut, bucks establish dominance by sparring ¾ Treat plants with repellents. with their antlers. Estrus, or breeding receptivity in ¾ If possible, allow hunting on your property. does, lasts approximately 24 hours, reoccuring after about 28 days if breeding has not taken place. For detailed information on reducing deer Once the mating season is completed, deer may again damage, deer resistant plants, form buck and doe groups. In northern climates, they and repellents, click here. sometimes form large mixed winter herds in sheltered evergreen forests near food sources. The does separate For more information about solving problems from their groups in late May or early June, when they with widllife, visit: Wildlifehelp.org give birth to their fawns. Young does typically have one fawn, while older, more experienced females may Never intentionally feed deer. have twins or even triplets under excellent conditions. The fawn is born covered in fur and stands up within It is illegal and causes problems for both an hour of being born. Fawns are born with natural humans and wildlife. Feeding deer during the spotted camouflage to help avoid predators. winter can negatively affect their digestive systems, which have adapted to survive the Disease: Deer are hosts for black-legged ticks (deer winter. Feeding deer corn or other high carb ticks), which can carry Lyme Disease and other tick- foods can upset their winter metabolic rate, borne illnesses that affect humans.Chronic Wasting and can even kill them. Disease (CWD) is fatal to deer and highly transmis- sible between conspecifics. The DEM monitors local populations for CWD and there have been no reports of the disease in Rhode Island. LIVING WITH DEER Deer are overabundant in much of the United States due to a lack of natural predators, an increase in frag- mented landscapes, and changing social values of hunting. In western Rhode Island, a population den- sity of approximately 15 to 20 deer per square mile is common, however, densities of twice that number may occur in suburban areas, where landscaping provides excellent forage for deer and hunting is not allowed. Overgrazing by deer degrades habitats, impacting other wildlife and reducing forest diversity. Automobile collisions with deer are an additional problem which costs millions of dollars a year in the United States. These accidents increase where deer have overpop- ulated, further supporting the need for effective deer management programs. Hunting has proven to be the Birch Dean most cost-effective, efficient, and successful method Deer provide food and sport for hunters, and hunting permit of controlling deer populations, which in turn ensures sales generate funds for state wildlife conservation and management. In addition, revenue from hunting license fees that the population remains in balance with ecological and federal excise taxes on sporting arms and ammunition and social factors. Hunting deer is a traditional use of is distributed back to Rhode Island in the form of grants this natural resource for meat and hide, and hunters are from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program. These grants are used for land acquisition, facility mainte- willing participants in deer management both on state nance, wildlife management, and all of the programs estab- land and when given access to private property. lished for management and hunting in the state.